Chapter One

by Judith Rochelle

  She nodded, nestling into his strength, and was asleep almost before she closed her eyes.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Quinn’s phone rang at seven-thirty in the morning, but it wasn’t Jake’s voice on the other end.

  “All right, we’ll do it your way, Quinn, but don’t fuck with me and pull some last minute stunt.” Lane Barton’s voice boomed across the connection. “I’ll come out and arrest both of you myself.”

  “Nice to hear from you, too, Lane.” Quinn worked to keep the anger from his own voice. That the big man himself had made the call was an indication of the seriousness of the situation.

  “Jake was in my office first thing this morning pleading your case with Dean assuring me this is the right way to go.”

  “If you don’t want a dead woman on your hands it is.” Quinn bit off his words. “I expect Jake explained everything to you?”

  “Yes. And you can be sure it’s only our personal relationship that’s got me to agree with this. Otherwise I’d have Jake out there with a warrant and two armed guards.”

  “I’m glad to hear we still have a personal relationship.” Quinn’s voice was tinged with irony.

  There was a brief pause. “I have a lot of respect for you, Quinn, and I’d like to think, even after all this time, we’re still friends. I understand your concerns, and I certainly don’t want to endanger anyone’s life. But I have to have that flash drive, and Jake says she’ll only give it up to me.”

  “If you do it the way we asked,” Quinn agreed.

  “I see nothing wrong with that, although I’m losing a day when our techs could already be working on it.” His heavy sigh was audible. “And what the hell is this about people in my office being paid off?”

  “I’m just telling you what Kate heard,” he said, repeating Peter’s words, “but it’s definitely the kind of thing they do. And very carefully, so there’s no trace back to them.”

  “Now, wait a minute,” Lane began.

  “I’m not pointing fingers, just passing along information. But as delicate as this whole thing is, it wouldn’t hurt for everyone to take a look at their staff and see if someone seems a little hinky.”

  “I’d hate to think I’ve got a virus on my staff but you’re right. I can’t afford not to check. All right then. Let’s go over the details of your little road trip.”

  “We’ll do it tonight, like I said, when almost everyone’s gone. We can drive directly into the garage and take your private elevator up to your floor. Kate’s scared to death about coming into town but she agrees that this gives her the maximum safety possible.”

  Lane was silent for a moment. “Fine. And I’ll be sure to pick my own security people. What time?”

  “Seven o’clock. And Lane? If we get anything off that flash drive, it would be nice to tell her. After all, without her, we wouldn’t even have it.”

  “I’ll see what we can do after I look at it myself. I’ll expect you and the woman and that nice little piece of equipment at seven.”

  Quinn disconnected the call and turned to Kate. “We’re on.” He explained to her exactly what they would be doing and how.

  “And you’re sure I’ll be safe this way?” she asked.

  “As safe as we can make it. I spoke to Lane Barton himself.”

  Her fingers twisted the terry cloth of the towel she’d wrapped around her body. “Quinn, I know I keep saying this but I’m really scared. The more I learn, the more terrified I am. With a cartel this powerful, anything could happen tonight.”

  “Yes, it could. I won’t lie to you. There’s always the possibility something will go wrong no matter what. But there’s no guarantee we’d be safe just hiding up here, either. Or trying to find another rabbit hole to crawl into. Especially now they’ve zeroed in on your car. The only thing to do is get this over with and put the bad guys out of business.”

  “I know,” she sighed, still playing with the towel.

  He cupped her cheeks and feathered kisses on her eyelids. “I’ll be right beside you every step of the way. I won’t leave your side.”

  She stared out the over-sized dining room window, watching the sun’s rays dancing on the wild grasses. “You know, for a little while I pretended none of it was real. That this...” she waved her hand at him and the house, “...was the only reality. Telling you and Jake brought it all back into focus again.”

  Quinn pulled her into his arms, pressing her against his chest.

  “It will be better after tonight,” he soothed. “When we leave for town we won’t go through Windswept. There are plenty of back country roads to take without going directly to the interstate. Roads where I can spot a tail and lose it if I have to.” He smiled into her eyes. “Once we get past tonight, we can come back up here and hide forever.”

  “And Peter?” she asked, biting her lip. Every time she thought of him she felt sick.

  “He’ll be too busy saving his own ass to worry about yours. You can bet on that.”

  “God, I hope so.” She shivered. “I want my life back.”

  He pressed his lips to her hair. “I love you, Kate. I’m going to do my best to keep you safe.” Mine, he thought savagely. Then he swatted her lightly on her rear end. “Come on. Let’s get dressed and I’ll fix us some lunch.”

  When the sun began to set and they got ready to leave the house, she watched Quinn take out both of his handguns, load them, and carry them to the truck.

  “Do you expect to have to defend me in the prosecutor’s office?” she teased, although in her mind it wasn’t so far-fetched. “I didn’t think they were that tough.”

  “Just a precaution, darlin’. Just a precaution.”

  ****

  “Peter.”

  Not much penetrated his control, but Peter Fleming chilled at the sound of the woman’s voice on the other end of the call. No matter how often he heard it, the thread of fear always wiggled through him.

  “What do you want?” he asked. He’d been dreading this call, tried his best to avoid it.

  “Is that any way to open this conversation?” The words carried the same brittle tone he’d heard for years, a sound that always made his stomach knot. “I should think that someone in your position would want to curry as much favor as possible.”

  “And what position is that?” But he knew. This call only confirmed it. A sour taste rose from his stomach.

  “You know what position. Any further word on the location of the girl?”

  “Maybe.” It was time to buy himself a little breathing room. Briefly he reported on what he’d learned about the car and the library.

  “So we can be sure she’s in the area.”

  “I’d say so.”

  “Then find her. Now. Misjudging that girl and letting her slip through your fingers was bad enough, but to let her steal that storage unit with so much information on it...”

  “It isn’t as if I let her.” His tone was acid sharp.

  “Never mind. It happened. That’s all that’s important. Just get more men on it if you have to. By the way, as soon as I’m back in the city tomorrow, I’ll want you to move to the condo.”

  Damn!

  “Why? I’m doing just fine here at Esai’s.”

  “Because I can keep a closer eye on you there,” she snapped. “And if we have to rebuild the entire corporate structure under a new name, I want you doing it under my eyes.”

  I’ll bet you do. Bitch.

  “I’m going to call Pendera again shortly,” he said. “He tells me there’s some activity in his office. He didn’t know what, so I told him to find out or I’ll cut off his balls. We don’t pay for ignorance.”

  “How delicately you put it. But whatever works, I suppose.” Now she sounded even colder. Big surprise, he thought.

  “Meanwhile, in our inefficient bumbling, we’ve killed people who have nothing to do with us. You know how I feel about that. It’s the kind of thing that draws unwanted attention.”

  Peter always wond
ered why it even raised an eyebrow, the killing of insignificant people. The collateral damage. Blood was sprinkled liberally on everyone’s hands in the organization a hundred times over.

  “It isn’t the killing I mind so much,” the voice went on, as if reading Peter’s mind. “It’s the loose ends it leaves. Threads that might lead back to us.”

  And that’s the heart of the matter.

  “The men were very good with the cleanup,” Peter protested.

  “Three bodies with no reason to be murdered creates a lot of questions,” the person argued. “We can’t afford that. The next dead body I see must be hers.”

  “I’ve got it, okay?”

  “Something for you to keep in mind as you proceed here. If you think you’re immune from the same retribution as everyone else, let me assure you that’s not the case. Your protection is only as good as your performance, despite what you might think.”

  A click indicated the call had been terminated.

  Peter sat with the dead receiver in his hand. The caller was perhaps the only person that gave Miguel and Esai a sense of unease. What chance did he stand?

  He was screwed, that’s all there was to it. Royally screwed.

  ****

  He was on his fourth cup of coffee and his second helping of antacid tablets when his cell phone rang.

  “I need to see you at once.” Efron Pendera sounded as if the hounds of hell were after him.

  “You have something for us?”

  “Not on the phone. Meet me in that little diner on Navarro. It’ll take me about fifteen minutes to walk there.” He disconnected without waiting for an answer.

  Cursing in two languages, Peter went in search of a set of car keys for one of Esai’s fleet of cars.

  His phone rang again while he was driving.

  “It’s Alfredo,” the voice said. “I showed her picture around using the same sob story. Most people just shrugged me off, but a couple of people recognized her. Said she’s gone off with some guy who lives up in the hills.” He cleared his throat. “Someone they seemed reluctant to talk about. Want me to pursue it?”

  A sick feeling rocketed through Peter’s stomach. “His name wouldn’t happen to be Quinn, would it?”

  “Yeah. How’d you know?”

  “Never mind.” Shit, shit, shit. “Did you find out where he lives, by any chance?”

  Alfredo snorted. “I could find the Lost Dutchman Mine a lot easier. And no amount of muscle or money is going to pry it loose from anyone, I can tell you that. Who is this guy, anyway?”

  Peter popped another antacid tablet. “Someone you wouldn’t want to know. Try and get more information but don’t make yourself stand out. God knows how big his pipeline is in the community. Call me back in an hour.”

  Fifteen minutes later he slid into the diner booth opposite Pendera, waving away the hovering waitress. “What’s so urgent I had to drop everything?”

  “I managed to overhear a conversation this morning that everyone needs to know about.”

  “Yeah? How did that happen when you haven’t been able to find out squat up until now?”

  Pendera took out his handkerchief and mopped his forehead. “Fortune smiled on me. By some circumstance I happened to be outside Lane Barton’s door when he was having a phone call with someone. A man named Quinn.”

  “Goddamn it,” Peter muttered, barely restraining himself from banging his fist on the table. “I’d like to kill that fucker myself. Go on.”

  “Thank God the walls in the building are thin enough or I’d never have gotten a hint of the conversation Barton was having with Jake Garza and Dean Morgan.”

  “Did anyone see you?” Peter snapped.

  “I left as quickly as I could, without raising suspicion, and called you. So what do you think? Is this what you’re looking for?”

  “Yes.” Peter wished he’d agreed to meet in a bar. He wanted a drink in the worst way. “If we don’t grab the woman before she steps into their office, they’ll have the goddamn flash drive and we’ll be in deep shit. We’re nearly out of time here and it doesn’t look like we’ll have any luck locating the man she’s with in the next couple of hours. Damn it all to hell anyway.”

  Peter stopped and drew in a long breath. He was losing it, and he couldn’t afford to do that. Not now. He was silent for a moment, turning everything over in his mind. He punched a number into his cell.

  “Salazar? I have a job for you. Meet me at Esai’s in half an hour.” He snapped his phone shut, sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Efron. You’re sure Quinn is bringing the girl in at seven tonight? Your information is correct?”

  “Yes. Right into the garage and up in Barton’s private elevator.”

  “All right. I don’t like it but I’ll have to take her there. It will be the only time she’s exposed. We can’t let her get to that meeting.” He opened a paper napkin. “Draw me a diagram of the garage.”

  Pendera shook his head. “Pedro, that won’t work. It’s impossible to get someone in there. There are guards everywhere. And cameras.”

  “Not everywhere. How do the janitors dump the trash?”

  Efron stared into his coffee cup. It was obvious he didn’t want to do this.

  “Efron?” Peter’s voice was soft, but the tone lethal. “Don’t fuck with me on this.”

  “There’s a side door by the dumpster. It’s also used as an emergency exit.”

  “No guard? Easy access?”

  “You need a key card to open it. A guard opens it for the cleaning crew.”

  “And you have such a card, don’t you, my friend?”

  Pendera squirmed under the steady gaze. “Yes.”

  “Hand it over.” He stretched out his hand.

  “Peter, I can’t...”

  Peter snapped his fingers. “The card. Now.”

  Sweating profusely, Pendera pulled the key card from his wallet and dropped it into Peter’s hand. He had to make two tries, he was shaking so badly.

  “Be sure you’re inside that door at six-thirty just in case the damn card doesn’t work. You hear me?”

  Pendera stared. “Yes. I hear you.” He looked as if he also heard the bells of doom clanging in his head.

  And have your car keys with you. We’ll need a way out of the garage since I can’t get my car inside.”

  “But—”

  “Just shut the hell up and do what I tell you.”

  Because this is the last time you’ll have to worry about doing anything.

  “Diego, I—”

  “Did you hear me? Go back to work. Act natural. Don’t screw this up. I’ll see you at six thirty.”

  Peter dropped dollar bills on the table to pay for the coffee and walked away.

  ****

  Quinn left the house early enough to take several detours before actually heading downtown. They were well east of Windswept before he picked up the interstate.

  One or two times he thought he spotted a tail but then the car veered in another direction.

  “Probably someone going home,” he told Kate. “I’m just making sure.”

  “The Hill Country is just beautiful,” Kate said, taking in the scenery around them. “The earth tones are so warm and peaceful. It reminds me of the pioneer women who lived here.”

  “I’m amazed you can relax enough to enjoy the scenery,” Quinn said.

  Her laugh had very little humor in it. “I’m trying to keep my mind occupied.”

  When they finally reached San Antonio, she commented on the difference in the environment.

  “Like someone with two totally different personalities.”

  “The city is full of life and rich in history,” Quinn said as he maneuvered through the traffic. “You’ve got the San Antonio River, the Mexican Marketplace, the Alamo. It’s an interesting blend of cultures that’s always fascinated me. I hope to share it with you under better circumstances.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.

  The streets were crowded with p
eople in colorful attire, tourists and residents alike out for an evening’s festivities. The faint sounds of a mariachi band drifted up from the Riverwalk below, punctuated by the laughter of the pedestrians. Horns honked as cars negotiated turns, and bells dinged as the bicycle police pedaled their routes.

  “I’d love to be able to really see the city sometime,” Kate said wistfully as they wound their way through the streets. “It all looks so exciting.”

  “San Antonio is a wonderful place,” Quinn told her. “I used to spend a lot of time down here. The restaurants are great and there’s always something going on.” His face tightened. “Lisa and Nikki used to love eating right by the water, then riding on one of the sightseeing barges.”

  Kate reached over and touched his arm. “Quinn, I’m so very sorry about what happened.” What else could she say?

  “It’s all right.” He moved her hand from his arm and curled his big one around it. “At least now you’ve freed me to talk about them and finally remember the good times, not just the nightmare.’”

  “I want you always to be able to think about the good part of your life with them. Otherwise we can’t begin to build one for us.” She leaned her head back against the seat. “God, I’ll be glad when this is over.”

  “Just a little while longer. Then at least tonight will be out of the way.”

  The guard at the garage entrance called upstairs for Lane’s okay, then waved them through.

  “Mr. Barton says Mr. Garza will meet you at the elevator,” he told them. “He said you know where it is.”

  “Thanks.” Quinn drove into the concrete cavern.

  They parked in a slot next to the elevator just as the doors opened and Jake emerged. Quinn jumped down from the truck cab as Kate released the catch on her seatbelt and gathered her purse. The men shook hands.

  “We’re all set upstairs,” Jake said. “Everyone’s waiting.” Then, noting Quinn’s sport shirt worn loose rather than tucked in, added, “Is that shirt hiding what I think it is? You can’t take your guns upstairs, Quinn. You know better than that. Besides,” he opened his jacket, “I’m carrying and so is Dean.”